Author's Note: Hey there! Been a small wait for this, and I apologise; I've been up to my eyes in work and college, so getting this out has been a little tricky. I'm entering the exam section of the semester this week, so it'll be study study study until the 18th when I'm done. I'll try to take a break and do something with my upcoming chapters, but I've got other fics to tend to, so I can't make any promises. Ah, and I have NO idea how people in Besaid bathe - I'm just using a pet theory of mine. I'll see you in the next chapter! Much love, Princess Kanako x

Title: A Hand to Hold

Authors: Princess Kanako

Pairing(s): Yuna/Tidus, Auron/OC

Date Submitted: 9/12/14

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X or any of its affiliates; they belong to Hironobu Sakaguchi.

Claimer: I do own my own characters, the plot, and my own ideas. Chiasa and Kathy belong to Princess Kanako.

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Angst, Romance

Summary: When your face is full of lines, when every tear has left its mark, when the smooth softness of youth is replaced by the delicate softness of age, I will still want to hold your hand. Kathy Peters was a normal girl, until one day she is whisked to Spira. She soon discovers though, that she wasn't just randomly chosen...This is Kathy's story.

Warning: Eh, can't really think of anything...warning of stagnant chapter? Sounds about right.

In which baths are taken and lightning strikes twice.

"I really landed myself in it this time," Kathy muttered, playing with her fringe. The man beside her (Wakka, he was called) nodded.

"You did. But Lulu's got a short fuse, ya?" he said consolingly. "She was probably thinkin' you were makin' fun of her."

"As if," she snorted, finally letting her fringe lie over her left eye, like it always did. "I barely know the woman, like I'd make fun of her! I usually wait until there's an actual relationship for that! Besides, she freaks me out."

"She freaks out a lotta people, ya?" Wakka answered. "She's not all bad. She's just worried about Yuna."

"She's got a funny way of showing it."

"We all have our own way of doin' things, ya?"

"Yeah, I suppose. She didn't have to attack me last night though." Kathy rubbed her still sore wrist. "I was only opening my bag, for Christ's sake. Thanks for catching me, by the way."

"No problem. She's just being protective, ya? Yuna's like a little sister to her."

"Okay, that I can kind of understand."

"You got a sister?"

"Two of them. Both younger than me. And a big brother," Kathy smiled. "You kind of remind me of him. Except he's far more serious."

"Hey! I can be serious too, ya?" Wakka protested loudly over Kathy's giggles.

"As if! I'd have to see it to believe it!"

"Anyway, I'm going to the beach with my team. Wanna come along?" Wakka asked, standing and stretching. Kathy shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. I'll stay here and talk to Yuna when she's up. Next time, I promise," she said apologetically. The red-head grinned and ruffled her hair, ignoring her muffled protest.

"I'm gonna hold you to that, ya?" Wakka stuck his tongue out at her. "And Yuna's gone to the trial. She's been there since last night."

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Kathy snapped, slapping his hands away. "Personal space, Wakka!" A thought struck her. "Trial? When did she go?"

"Just after you fell asleep," he shrugged. "Lulu's with her. She'll be fine."

"If you say so." Kathy paused. "What exactly is the trial? Did she do something wrong?"

"No, nothin' like that," he assured her. "The trial's a test for apprentice summoners. There's a room in the temple called the Cloister of Trials. Beyond is where the apprentice summoner prays. If the prayer is heard, the apprentice becomes a fully-fledged summoner, ya?"

"And what if the prayer isn't heard?" Kathy asked. Wakka shrugged.

"Then the apprentice wasn't worthy. I dunno the specifics."

Kathy eyed him.

"Wakka, do you actually believe that I'm not from Spira?" she asked curiously. "Or do you think I'm a lunatic?"

The man shrugged.

"Yuna believes you," he said serenely. "And Yuna's never wrong about a person. Besides, even if you were crazy, you're a pretty cool crazy lady."

"I resent that," she grinned, poking him. "But thanks."

"No problem," the blitzball player grinned back. "We'll stick together til we get you home, ya?"

"Yeah," she replied.

"Anyway, I need to get to my team! They're waitin' for me, so I'll see you later!"

Kathy waved as Wakka left the tent, then tried to figure out what to do with herself. Her nose wrinkled.

A bath, I think!

She explored the tent until she came across another 'room' of sorts, with a big wooden tub sitting in the middle of it. Sitting right beside it were two large-ish buckets filled to the brim with cool water. Making a face but knowing she really didn't have much of a choice, Kathy stripped quickly and sluiced herself down, shivering all the while. Since she couldn't see any towels, she dried herself off with her t-shirt and changed into some clean clothes. Her hair was short enough that it would dry within the hour; it was a hot enough day. Looking sheepishly back at the mess she'd inadvertently made, she rolled up her figurative sleeves and straightened up the room as best she could. The rugs around the tub were a little damp - okay, they were drenched - so she rolled them up and lay them outside to dry in the blistering heat. The buckets were empty, and if Wakka was training like he said he was, he'd come back covered in dirt and sweat and Lord knows what else. Picking up the two buckets, she made her way out to the plaza and was just about to ask someone where she could fill them up when Wakka appeared around the corner, a blonde boy right on his heels.

"-got any food there?" the boy was saying, rubbing a gloved hand across his stomach. Wakka clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get you something over there later. Take a look around. Let's see..." Wakka's eyes scanned the small allotment of tents, then pointed at one large blue tent, sitting separately from the others. "The Crusader's Lodge is over yonder. Luzzu and Gatta are usually there."

"Hey Wakka!" Kathy called, waving slightly. "Who's your friend?"

"Hey Kathy," he responded with a wave of his own, "Come on over." She complied, eyeing the new boy with interest. "This is Tidus. He got too close to Sin's toxin, but he's mostly all right."

"Um, okay," she replied with a hesitant look. "Hi. I'm Kathy. Nice to meet you."

"Uh, you too," Tidus replied, nodding at her.

"Oh, right," Wakka clicked his fingers. "You two - over here!"

"Huh? What's up?" Tidus asked as himself and Kathy followed Wakka behind a tent.

"You do remember the prayer, right?" he asked, looking at the blonde boy.

"I don't remember, no," Tidus replied sheepishly, shaking his head.

"Man, that's like the basics of the basics," Wakka tutted. "Alright, I'll show you." He stretched his arms out at forty-five degree angles, then held his right forearm over the left forearm, fingers spread out, his hands curved in the shape of a circle, and bowed. "Go ahead, you try," he encouraged. "You too, Kathy."

Putting down her buckets, Kathy tried to mimic Wakka's actions, but it really wasn't a good first try; she mixed up her right and her left and completely forgot to bow. Tidus's on the other hand, was smooth and clean, with only a small amount of hesitancy. He glanced up from his bow.

"Hey, not bad," Wakka said, impressed as Tidus straightened. "Okay, now go present yourself to the temple summoner. Kathy, I'll help you with those buckets, ya?"

As they left Tidus, Kathy asked Wakka quietly, "Where did he come from?"

"He doesn't remember, poor kid," the red-head replied quietly. "He got too close to Sin's Toxin. It's a miracle it's only his memory that's affected, ya?"

"His memory? He has amnesia? Ouch," Kathy winced. "But what's Sin's Toxin?"

Wakka stopped, then smacked himself lightly on the forehead.

"Right, you're not from here," he mumbled, continuing. "I keep forgetting. Sin is a huge creature that came into being as punishment for out ancestors relying on machina - machines. If we follow the teachings of Yevon and atone, Sin will vanish. The toxin part should be easy enough to get."

"Yeah. But is the solution really that simple?" Kathy wondered. "How long has Sin been around, Wakka?"

"Over a thousand years," Wakka shrugged, stopping by a wide-ish river and taking one of the buckets from her.

"Surely you've atoned for your sins," Kathy reasoned as she stooped to fill her bucket. "And anyway, why should future generations suffer for what a handful of people did over a thousand years ago? It's not really fair."

"I hear that," Wakka grumbled as they started to make their way back to the village, "But we gotta keep faith, ya?"

"I suppose." She chewed her lip. "Why don't you tell me about Yevon?"

Wakka's beaming smile and his enthusiastic chattering kept Kathy's mind from wandering on the way back to the village and most of the afternoon.

To be continued..